Saudi Arabia: Death Penalty/ Fear of imminent execution

23 January 2009, Index number: MDE 23/002/2009

Ayadh Mana' Wanas Matar, Hussein Baida Abud, Adnan Jamil, Mahmoud Shekar and Khaled Mitan are among at least 15 Iraqi nationals feared to be at imminent risk of execution. They have all been sentenced to death for various charges ranging from ones relating to drugs, connection with armed groups in Iraq and smuggling of weapons into Saudi Arabia. All are detained in Rafha prison, in the north of Saudi Arabia, near the border with Iraq

PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 23/002/2009

23 January 2009

UA 20/09 Death Penalty/ Fear of imminent execution

SAUDI ARABIA Ayadh Mana’ Wanas Matar (m), aged 37 ]

Hussein Baida Abud (m), aged 23 ] Iraqi nationals

Adnan Jamil (m), aged 25 ]

Mahmoud Shekar (m), aged 42 ]

Khaled Mitan (m), aged 25 ]

At least 10 others ]

The men named above are amongat least 15 Iraqi nationals feared to be at imminent risk of execution. They

have all been sentenced to death for various charges ranging from ones relating todrugs, connection with

armed groups in Iraq and smuggling of weapons into Saudi Arabia. All are detained in Rafha prison, in the

north of Saudi Arabia, near the border with Iraq.

One of the men,Ayadh Mana’ Wanas Matar, was arrested in November 2004 on a drug-related charge.He

was interrogated for three months, during which he was allegedly tortured and forced to confess to the charge.

The torture apparently included him being beaten on the soles of his feet and all over his body. He was

sentenced to death in July 2008 by a criminal court in Rafha. Ayadh Mana’ Wanas Matar had no lawyer

during his trial proceedings, which were secret and summary.

Like Ayadh Mana’ Wanas Matar, all the other Iraqi nationals were beaten until they confessed, and all claim

that they are innocent. None of the 15 has been allowed access to lawyers since their arrests. Prisoners in

Saudi Arabia may be put to deathwithout a scheduled date for execution being made known to them or their

families. Therefore, the 15 could be executed at any time.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences. Court proceedings fall far short of

international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in

many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely

on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.

In a recent report on the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International highlighted the

extensive use of the death penalty as well as the disproportionately high number of executions of foreign

nationals from developing countries. For further information please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death